Ham Croquettes, much enjoyed by all

I'm whiling away a few minutes before we head out to the 99 Ranch Market, the to-die-for Chinese store we love to shop on the weekends, and have just enough time to post about last night's dinner - Ham Croquettes.

When I was a kid my Grandmother used to make Salmon Croquettes out of dubious quality canned salmon. It was very fishy and had quite alot of bones that had to be picked out. Needless to say, I have had a more leave it than take it attitude on the subject of Croquettes for all of these years - something that couldn't be made without a trip to the banged up can stores my grandparents frequented. Something like 99cents stores, only rather alot worse.

However, since I have been making crab cakes and even sometimes salmon cakes with fresh salmon lately, and since I had a rather substantial bit of ham left from the Thanksgiving debacle, it occured to me to try ham croquettes, something I think used to be something of an American staple, back in the day.

The procedure I used was pretty much the same as for crab cakes, and they turned out really well. Even Alex, who is a hater of ham, loved them and made a special point of telling me so again this morning.

So if you have some left over ham and won't be using it for pea soup, which I hope you'll use at least the bone for, give this a try. Your family will think you slaved to make them happy, but it really isn't that much work at all.


Ham Croquettes

About 3 cups of finely chopped cooked ham (I used the mini - chopper for this)
1/2 an onion, finely chopped
1/2 a bell pepper - red or green - finely chopped
3 stalks of celery, finely chopped
2 eggs
approx 3/4 c good mayo (adjust if nec)
1 cup of panko crumbs
seasoning (I used cajun seasoning, salt, pepper, some tobasco)

Gently mix it all together, adding more mayo if it is too dry to hold together when you form it into patties. Once you've made patties about the size of your palm press them gently on each side into more panko. Set them onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and set into the freezer for at least 45 minutes.

Make your side dishes - green beans and salad were what we had - and when everything else is ready start frying the croquettes. I use an electric skillet. Use a mix of about half butter and half olive oil to fry them. Cook on one side until gbd (golden brown and delicious) and turn and cook the other side until the same. Drain on brown paper and serve with wedges of lemon and tobasco. If you really want to gild the lily you could make a quick sauce with the pan drippings, a few tablespoons of flour (whisk in, cook slightly) and some wine - or milk, if you're a fan of that sort of thing. Don't forget to season.

This could probably be done very nicely with some cooked, chicken, too, and I plan to give that a try soon. And of course, this is a basic crab cake recipe which could also be used for any flaked leftover grilled or poached fish you might be lucky enough to have on hand. Even the dreaded canned salmon would work - just get a good one!